British Airways expands Porto services – good weekend break idea

British Airways announced yesterday that it is launching a year-round service to Porto from Gatwick, starting in February 2016.

This is a massive boost for the city.  At present, Porto has a twice-weekly Summer service from Heathrow.  Next Summer, the flights will operate SIX days a week.  In Winter, it will be four times per week.

The Heathrow Summer service is being dropped as part of the move – if you have booked a Heathrow to Porto flight for March 2016 or later, you should contact BA.

Whilst a shift to Gatwick is an inconvenience to some people, the tripling of services for Summer 2016 should make up for it.

Porto has seen a big boost in tourism in recent years following substantial investment.  InterContinental opened a well regarded hotel in a renovated 18th century palace a couple of years ago – see here for details.  There is also a luxury hotel called The Yeatman, owned by one of the old port families, in the hills overlooking the city.

If you’ve ‘done’ Lisbon, Porto is worth adding to your list for 2016.  If you haven’t been to Lisbon – which is also fantastic, and very cheap – it may even be worth looking into a two-city break.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)